Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani's recent media presence has raised sensitive and negative reactions in Iraq and in other countries in the region. He has had numerous photos published of himself with leaders of Iraqi Shiite militias following each success by Iraqi forces against Islamic State (IS) fighters. The viewer is to presume that the photos were taken in the battlefield, that the victory came due to Soleimani’s presence and that without him, the Iraqi army would not have been able to repel IS.
Soleimani's activities are part of a media campaign highlighting Iran’s regional strength, portraying it as a victor and the people's savior against the violence and extremism of IS. Iran has also not hesitated to play up its regional role in the nuclear talks with the West and in building ties with the United States. All this is part of Tehran's insistence that its power in the region be recognized by countries in the area and the international community.
In this context, Iran has exploited Shiite social forces, such as the religious authority in Najaf, to benefit from their stature. From time to time, Iran insists on circulating news of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani’s alleged support for the Iranian leadership or for Iran's agenda in Iraq. These usually elicit an immediate reaction from Sistani's office, because in fact, Sistani has insisted on preserving the religious institution’s independence from political conflicts between the states and among political forces.
In one such episode, Iranian newspapers published reports on Nov. 12 alleging Sistani's support for Iran's military presence in Iraq under the command of Soleimani. According to them, Sistani views Soleimani as responding to the authority’s fatwa for jihad against IS, so his presence in Iraq is legitimate. At the same time, the statement attributed to Sistani called the Western coalition’s presence a violation of Iraqi sovereignty. Some newspapers also published an image of the statement purportedly written by Sistani's office and bearing his official stamp. Iranian and Iraqi websites rushed to publish the news.
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